Upon hearing this, Aunt Lü's eyes lit up immediately. She was so happy that she couldn't sleep well all night, and the next morning she set off for the Marquis's residence in her carriage.

Aunt Lü entered through a small side gate at the back. Because her daughter was in charge, Aunt Lü often came over, but always behind the back of Marquis Pingxi. Aunt Lü was afraid that her visits to see her daughter would displease Marquis Pingxi. Little did she know that Madam Chen was secretly shedding tears in front of Marquis Pingxi because of this. At that time, the two had just been married and were at the height of their relationship. After Marquis Pingxi learned of Madam Chen's grievances, he gave her some money, which surprised and delighted Madam Chen.

Because Aunt Lü was a concubine, she wasn't considered a proper relative of the Marquis's household. Every time she passed through the side gate, she would secretly curse a few times. But this time, because she was unusually happy, she didn't care. The old woman who was leading Aunt Lü all the way to Madam Chen's courtyard was secretly puzzled by Aunt Lü's happy appearance. Every time this concubine came, she always had a face full of resentment. Why was she so happy this time?

Because the people she had paid to find Zheng Boyuan hadn't been able to, and coupled with her recent unhappiness, she was in a bad mood. Hearing that her aunt had come only fueled her resentment. She knew her family very well; her aunt was incompetent, and her brothers were even less so. They were lucky if they didn't try to take advantage of her, let alone offer her advice. Most of the savings she had accumulated over the years had gone into their bottomless pit.

Little Chen was somewhat surprised to see her aunt enter with a happy expression. Aunt Lü smiled and said to Little Chen, "I've come to discuss something with you."

Madam Chen dismissed all the servants in the room, and Aunt Lü approached Madam Chen and recounted what Granny Qian had told her the day before, focusing on Madam Chen's dowry.

Upon hearing this, Madam Chen did not respond further. Instead, she treated Aunt Lü well, gave her some gifts to take back, and repeatedly instructed her not to tell anyone else about the matter before sending her back.

Chen Zhong and Madam Chen naturally knew about Aunt Lü's whereabouts. After Aunt Lü returned, she arranged for people to keep an eye on Madam Chen's movements at the Marquis's residence. The Chen family was wealthy and spent a lot of money to bribe some servants at the Marquis's residence in order to keep track of what Madam Chen was doing. Soon they learned that Madam Chen had started to do ideological work on the Marquis of Pingxi.

Madam Chen said to Chen Zhong, "This Marquis of Pingxi looks righteous and awe-inspiring, but he is actually the most muddle-headed person. Just watch, he will not have a good ending as he is being manipulated by a woman. It is good that our Boyuan and Yuanyuan can separate from them."

Chen Zhong said, “Mother, I have inquired about it. The second uncle of the Marquis of Pingxi was very brave on the battlefield. He died while saving the late emperor. It will not do any harm for our Boyuan to be adopted by him. I plan to separate Boyuan from the Marquis of Pingxi after this matter is settled, and then find a way to send him to His Majesty so that His Majesty knows that no matter what the Marquis of Pingxi does in the future, it will not implicate our Boyuan and Yuanyuan.”

Madam Chen said, "How difficult would it be to deliver it to His Majesty?"

Chen Zhong said, "I asked someone to introduce me to the Grand Eunuch Chen Wufu a few days ago. Grand Eunuch Chen is a very nice person. I'm thinking of asking him for help when the time comes."

Madam Chen said, "You can figure out the things outside, but just remember not to put yourself in danger. You have a whole family behind you."

Chen Zhong nodded and said, "Mother, don't worry, I know."

Madam Chen knew that it was inappropriate to directly discuss this matter with Marquis Pingxi.

Zheng Boyuan and Zheng Yuanyuan were the legitimate children of the Marquis of Xiping's first wife. If the Marquis of Xiping simply gave the two children away for adoption, it would be a laughing stock. However, Madam Chen had spent many years studying the Marquis of Xiping's temperament and personality. She had put in a lot of effort to remain favored in the household, so she knew that simply bringing this up with the Marquis of Xiping would not only fail but would also earn her his dislike. After pondering for a long time, Madam Chen came up with a way to find a breakthrough from another angle and handle the matter properly.

The Zheng family, the clan of Marquis Pingxi, did not all reside in the capital. Their ancestral home was in Jizhou. After Marquis Pingxi's ancestors were enfeoffed as marquises for their military merits, some clan members came from their ancestral home, but most remained there. After Marquis Pingxi became successful, he acquired a great deal of clan property in his ancestral home, including several hundred acres of estates and shops in the local town and county. Therefore, the clan head of the Zheng family always resided in their ancestral home. The produce from these shops and lands was considered clan property, and the clan head was responsible for managing it. Could the clan head manage without staying in their ancestral home?

It's also possible that the Marquis of Pingxi came up with this idea because he didn't want too many members of his clan to follow him to the capital. If clan members came to the capital, he would have to take care of their food and drink. With more people, there would be more conflicts. By spending some money, he could nip these troubles in the bud and gain a good reputation. Wasn't that a good thing?

Although the Pingxi Marquis's Mansion was inherited by Zheng Boyuan's grandfather, Zheng Boyuan's second great-uncle died saving the late emperor, and the late emperor gave Zheng Boyuan's second great-uncle a special certificate, which is now enshrined in the ancestral hall of the mansion.

As the wife of the Marquis of Pingxi, Lady Chen had more contact with people from the Zheng family's hometown. Lady Chen was also someone who valued her reputation, and she did a very good job in many matters of appearances.

After probing the Marquis of Pingxi's attitude towards the adoption, Madam Chen decided to send her clansmen from her hometown to pressure the Marquis.

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